Precious Moments That Count For EternitySample

Overcoming Unforgiveness

As Christians, we have experienced God’s unconditional love, unending mercy and the riches of His grace. We enjoy these blessings continuously, even when we don’t live up to His expectations. But while God, our Father, seems gracious enough to overlook most of our shortcomings, He is particularly concerned when it comes to unforgiveness.
God takes unforgiveness very seriously. He treats it as seriously as murder! Perhaps, Jesus is trying to make us aware of the severity of the damaging effect it has over our lives. It can result in unhealthy relationships, leading to the disintegration of families, and eventually the body of Christ. A divided church is Satan’s ultimate objective! In the book of Esther, Haman’s bitterness towards Mordecai became the reason for his death.
Jesus came to this world with the promise of abundant life for each one of us. How can one enjoy abundant life, while harboring ill feeling towards others? It was out of His deep love that God gave His only begotten Son to die for us, while we were still sinners. Within the two most important commandments, that we are to love God and our neighbor, lies the fundamental principle: we can’t love others unconditionally, if we can’t love God with all our heart!
If we claim that God lives within us, it’s time for us to manifest that same love to people around us, overlooking their deficiencies, embracing them the way God accepts us. There’s no greater joy than to do what pleases God’s heart.

Prayer
God, make me like You, and grant me the strength to love and forgive others, no matter what the cost. Amen.